Syfydrin Trail

Has anyone done this trail? It sounds nice but looking at the map, there is a significant amount of fire road and in the past I've been caught out by descriptions that would make a real estate agent proud…. How much is there in reality? Does it feel like distance for distance's sake?

A lot of it is "good" fire road though.

In fact on some of it you have to watch out for unexpected drops.

There is tarmac, fire road, moor land double track, Single track, river crossings, big climbs, big descents and a cafe at the end. It’s like riding used to be but without the need for maps.

What more do you want? 😀

I love it. Its a mix of man-made with more "natural" trails. Yes its quite fire-roady but it takes you out into some stunning scenery (although its usually rainy).

If you don't fancy the fire-road loop then the Summit trail has all the same singletrack without the fire-road loop (but still the rather tedious Leg-burner). Do a couple of loops of that and then a quick blatt round the Pendam (no leg-burner).

Best welsh centre trail, its got everything IMHO

Also a lot of usual dull Fire Road

In fact on some of it you have to watch out for unexpected drops.

because you may be asleep

just my opinion but was a bit far to go when there are good natural rides closer to me

Not a huge fan of the Syfydrin, love the Summit though. We ride there quite a lot and usually do the Summit + Pendam

I thought it was excellent.
Its got this bit

And views like this

Yes there is a long fire road climb towards the end but the singletrack finale soon puts a smile back on your face.

Well I might make it a weather call. Is the trail waymarked the whole way or do you need an OS map?

oh and one more please….any camping at the trail centre?

there was a route in an old (2003/4ish) issue of singletrack called "joes back garden", thats the best route out of nant IMO. Joe in Summit bike shop (in aber) can mark it up on an OS map.

It takes in some of the waymarked stuff but then goes alot further out into the moorland, at its furthest point it meets up with the mach routes out of, err, Mach.

It is signposted but easy to miss one – take a map -plenty of other trails to find also.
No official camping at the trail centre but places to wild camp in the hills
and two miles away:

http://www.ukcampsite.com/central-wales/erwbarfe-farm-campsite.htm

another one at devil's bridge up the road (nearer pub)- check they're open
And a bothy over the hill from linked campsite

I think I agree with Thekingisdead, as in I think he's talking about the route I do up there. It's featured in a few mags, including MBR from a few years back (killer loop).

Nant yr Arian is my favourite trail centre for the reasons already mentioned and that trail has all the best examples. The Syfydrin route is good but you're right, there is a lot of fire road and tarmac involved – the other route follows the best bits of that, then peels off into the forest rather than dropping down the valley on the road only to climb back up the other side.
Definitely best done on a nice day though – better views and it's pretty exposed in places.

If you fancy it, you'll need a map/GPS but drop me an email and I'll send you the details.

it's a good trail to do if the weather is good there are large parts of it are very exposed so in the Winter it could be very bleak on a bad day but equally stunning on a frosty morning.

Guess depends what you like to ride, if you prefer a proper mountain ride with some fast singletrack with distance all in then this is fairly spot on, otherwise you could loop the other trails in Nant to fill a day easily

You need decent weather because it's up in the hills, but it is ace. Some of the rocky, rutted double track is suicide grip no brakes stuff on an FS. And the built singletrack is sublime.